Dateline: GermanyOfficials in Dresden say a traffic light that has been stuck on red for the last 28 years will stay that way for the foreseeable future. The light, positioned just South of the Elbe river where Ziegelstrasse meets three other streets has been red since it was installed in 1987. The red light allows motorists to turn right after stopping. According to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, the city spends 5,500 euros a year maintaining the traffic light, regularly replacing the green and yellow bulbs—even though they have never been used. Dresden officials said the traffic light’s placement is based on “regulation 27, section 37 of the transport regulations” as laid out by the Research Institute for Street Transportation. Asked by the English language daily The Local why the red light hasn’t simply been replaced with a stop sign, a city spokesperson said, “Stop signs do not correspond to traffic light systems and do not fulfill the same set of regulations.”Dateline: GeorgiaA woman from Jasper faces felony shoplifting charges after authorities say she stole 131 pairs of underwear from a Walmart in nearby Kennesaw. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that, on the night of Sunday, June 7, 22-year-old Julia Marie Jones tried to conceal the piles of panties in her purse, a handbag and several grocery bags. According to the store, the underwear in question was worth $749.95. Jones was charged with felony theft by shoplifting and booked into Cobb County jail. She was released on Tuesday after posting a $5,000 bond. After her story went viral, Jones posted about the incident on her Facebook page, saying, “Before you jump to conclusions, you should all stop to consider there may be a reason behind what you’re tagging me in happened. And if you all KNEW the reasoning, you’d leave me alone.” Jones, however, declined to mention the reasoning. “Even if exactly what you’re reading IS all there is to the story, it’s STILL ridiculous for you all to keep posting it,” she added.Dateline: KentuckyAn allegedly intoxicated motorist drove to the Hopkinsville Police Department near the Tennessee border and asked officers to arrest him for driving while intoxicated. According to the Kentucky New Era newspaper, Christopher L. Stewart, 26, was arrested at 8:10pm after he was seen driving to the police department and entering the “do not enter” side of the parking lot. Stewart then slammed on his breaks, nearly hitting a police cruiser. The newspaper went on to say Stewart got out of his car, approached officers and said he was ready to go to jail for DUI. Stewart reportedly told police he had downed a pint of beer before driving to the station. While talking to officers, Stewart allegedly attempted to drink “a closed bottle of cleaning fluid,” but was stopped from doing so. Per his request, Stewart was charged with driving under the influence and jailed.Dateline: PennsylvaniaA man accused of robbing a bank in western Pennsylvania would have made a clean getaway—if only he hadn’t stopped for biscuits while fleeing police. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports 32-year old Shane Lindsey was arrested less than 20 minutes after he robbed the Citizens Bank in downtown New Kensington on Jan. 14. Witnesses to the robbery told police they saw a man matching Lindsey’s description run out of the bank and toward the nearby Eazer’s Restaurant. Knowing the restaurant in question had surveillance cameras, police went into Eazer’s to try to get video footage from the owners. Inside, police found Shane Lindsey sitting at a booth eating biscuits. Police say Lindsey used the restaurant’s bathroom to discard a coat and hood he wore during the robbery. Earlier this month Lindsay pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to two to four years in prison by Westmoreland County Judge Debra A. Pezze. Lindsay is already serving a 16-to-60-month sentence for an unrelated burglary in Venango County.Dateline: CaliforniaA Republican lawmaker became the first of his party to cast a vote in favor of the California state budget in years—but says he only did it because he was distracted by Facebook. Assemblyman Scott Wilk was the sole Republican to vote for California’s record $117 billion spending plan during a June 15 legislative session. He later clarified that he accidentally voted yes to the bill because he was so busy opposing it on Facebook. The California Assembly allows lawmakers to change their official votes—which is what Wilk did after fellow Republicans pointed out his mistake of not following party lines. The budget bill passed anyway, 53-17.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
